Collector Buzz

One of the oldest surviving forms of art that is still practiced today is aboriginal art. Here are some facts about aboriginal art that you might be interested in.

This art form is believed to have been created several thousands of years ago in caves that were painted with Ochre, these painting were to narrate the stories of the painter. The paintings are not displaying the original paints as they have constantly been re painted by caretakers of the cultural story, so the paintings would show many layers that have been applied decade after decade.

Aboriginal art is either naturalistic or abstract. Naturalistic art means paintings about people, animals, or something of a recognizable shape. Abstract art is in forms of lines, circles, dots and shapes which all have meanings. These paintings are not understandable to non-aboriginal people, but because aboriginal people know all of the symbols meanings, they could tell the story just by looking at it.

Dreaming is known to be the focal point of aboriginal religion and life. The inspiration from dreams is reflecting in the paintings and other art forms.

Another style of aboriginal art is x-ray art, this is where the tribes would paint humans and animals, these painting would display all internal organs. There are many different styles and meanings to the paintings, if you want to gain a better understand then why not do some more research on aboriginal art information to find out more.

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Rice, the most versatile grain, popular in virtually every culture. The influence of rice on humankind reaches far back in time. 2004 was the International Year of Rice. (Digital artwork and description copyright 2011, Ziva Details of the limited time promotional sale (50% discount!) at http://blog.retrocollage.com/limited-time-promotion-oryza-sativa-by-ziva/ Only a few left at this special price. Available on canvas, paper, and as notecards. More artwork at Art of RetroCollage blog, with articles about art techniques, all things collage, inspiration, aesthetics, and more…

Have you been thinking about starting an art collection? If so it can be a very rewarding hobby especially for those that enjoy the visual arts. There are several types of paintings and contemporary art paintings are one type that has grown in popularity recently. Some other collected works include impressionists and Southwest style paintings.

Starting your own contemporary artist paintings collection is also a great way to get children involved at an early age in art. Getting them interested while they are in early childhood can be a great way to captivate their attention and give them focus on creating their own works of art. This could also possibly lead them down a path of creativity and visual exploration which they may not have gone down otherwise.

Collecting Folk Art Paintings – First Trolley To Van Nuys

Collecting folk art paintings has become a passion of mine.  I’ve been looking for them everywhere it seems.  I found a bunch of folk art paintings recently and I am having trouble deciding which one to buy.

There was a folk art painting by Rev. Howard Finster that is titled Howard in 1944.  This is an all enamel folk art painting that was painted in 1988.  The smile on this portrait is very engaging and makes me smile just as big.

I am also really taken by a folk art painting that was painted by painter Bill Dodge in Oct 1962.  The title of the painting is First Trolley To Van Nuys.  The painting is on board and depicts the center of town with all the people in town.  They are in the windows and on the street.  The town market, bakery, Hotel Van Nuys, an ice cream parlor and the Wing Lee Laundry are all depicted in vibrant color.  The women in the foreground are against the Trolley and their signs say “Ban the Monster” and “Keep Van Nuys rural”.

Thomas Chambers is one of America’s foremost folk artists.  I found a piece by him that I just don’t like very much.  It is a bit austere for my tastes.  The subject is a fishing scene with villagers and boats.  I don’t think that I will purchase this folk art painting because I just don’t like it.

There was a folk art painting I found called Alligator Fisher that was painted in 1940 that I really like.  The blue of the bayou is very calming and the trees give it a very Southern feel.  There is a swamp house in the painting and I like this one very much.  It reminds me very strongly of Louisiana.

My mother started this passion of mine for folk art paintings.  She had a folk art painting by John Roeder in our parlor growing up.  I used to spend hours just staring into it.  The trees were so relaxing to lose myself in.  I have asked her to give me this wonderful folk art painting many times, but she says that I will have to wait until after her funeral!

I found one folk art painting during my journey that I felt sad every time I looked at.  The name of the painting is A Letter from My Mother.  The look in the girl’s face is so serious and sad.  I have no idea where this folk art painting should hang.  The painting itself is magnificent; it just makes me feel sad.

There is a whole subset of folk art paintings that represent black Americana.  I don’t usually buy any of these pieces as they don’t speak to my experience.  I did find one piece that I purchased for a collector friend of mine that loves this type of art.  The folk art painting had a whimsical feel to it and a woman relaxing in a hammock.  He hung this in his hallway and has loved it for a long time.

My brother likes folk art paintings as much as I do.  He prefers animals to be the subjects of paintings he purchases.  I found a lovely clouded leopard folk art painting for him last Christmas and he has asked that I keep my eyes open for more like it.  He said that he will buy any art I find for him because he trusts that I know and understand his tastes.

I have kept my eyes open for animal themed folk art paintings for my brother, but I just can’t seem to find any as nice as the leopard that I got for him.  The grand extent of animal themed folk art paintings I’ve found recently was a painting of two owls on a limb and I know that he would not like it.  Ever since we were kids, owls totally freak him out.